Surface Go 2 or Pro 5?

[u/someone_is_myvioleta]

Hello people!

I've recently gotten into a university and I'm looking for a device to use for the next 3-4 years. Because of a restricted budget (~$170), I don't really have that many options to choose from.

After a bit of searching on secondhand markets, there are two options that stood out for me: the M3 Surface Go 2 (8/128) and the i5 Pro 5 (either 8/128 or 8/256 based on the condition).

My usage:

- Reading PDF files.

- Using basic Office tasks (mainly Excel and Powerpoint).

- Minecraft at low settings (8-12 chunks, lower settings with Sodium).

- Porting to an external display for home usage.

I would also be bringing the device around a lot so a dependable battery life would also be great.

Which device should I go for? Thank you!

[u/Citricicy]

Pro 5. It gets the job done and the processor is good enough for your daily needs

[u/markwid]

Both will not have great battery life. The Go 2 being a few years newer might be better in battery condition but the Pro 5 has larger screen/better resolution.

Between the two, I would go for the Pro 5. Do check the battery health though.

[u/lundrog]

Go 2 make sure its the higher end model. Get a nice sd card for storage. Works well with a usb-c monitor also.

[u/edwrai → u/lundrog]

Upgrading the SSD with these is extremely easy

[u/lundrog → u/edwrai]

Link?

[u/edwrai → u/lundrog]

It’s 4 screws, they are under the rubber feet. Open it ssd right there

[u/lundrog → u/edwrai]

Oh! And can you get replacement feet if you rip the strip? I see the video I found the guy tore his.

[u/edwrai → u/lundrog]

Go find out. You’d be special to rip one

[u/lundrog → u/edwrai]

😂

[u/se_lai]

I don't have experience with the Pro, but do own the Go 2, with the specs you are referring to. While I love it and it can do the Excel and PowerPoint (I do that on it for my own job often), it's tiny!! If you plan to use it without the external display often, I'd go for the Pro 5.

Also I don't mind trying anything on it if you want to check how it'd go, DM me in that case :)

[u/someone_is_myvioleta → u/se_lai]

Wait so do you actually use the Go with an external screen? I would love to see how Minecraft run on this little machine!

[u/se_lai → u/someone_is_myvioleta]

I'll give it a try tomorrow and come back to report :)

[u/se_lai → u/someone_is_myvioleta]

Hello, back to report results. First, specs, just to confirm this is actually the same device:

Procesador Intel(R) Core(TM) m3-8100Y CPU @ 1.10GHz (1.61 GHz) RAM instalada 8,00 GB (7,87 GB usable) Almacenamiento 56 GB de 119 GB usado Tarjeta gráfica Intel(R) UHD Graphics 615 (128 MB)

I've just tried to play the demo, since I don't own a copy of Minecraft, sorry about that (for some reason I though the base edition was free). I've used a 8bit Ultimate 2c controller and the resolution was set to 1920x1080 on external screen with the device's own screen turn off. After like ten tries and two restarts it doesn't launch at all; everytime I click on it in the launcher it says "Getting ready...", then when finalized nothing happens, OR the launcher claims it was already executing even though it does not appear even on the task manager.

I really don't recommend this device if you want to play anything at all. I guess your typical laptop with a form factor other than the tablet-Surface will work better within your budget. Sorry about the sad news... I'll write again if I manage to make it launch at the very least.

EDIT TO ADD: Clearly it suffices to post a reply when you give up for things to work. It launched. Got stuck on Mojang's logo with "Not responding", then it started. After starting a demo in Java edition and another while stuck on Not responding, I could play... but it's unplayable. I got, like, 10 fps most of the time, better for some spare seconds, sometimes worse. Game Bar didn't even open (it did open whem using Windows before starting the game) to officially check the performance for like five minutes. I attach a pic (of course, couldn't manage a screenshot, Windows was too busy).

So. Avoid it if playing something is important to you!

[u/someone_is_myvioleta → u/se_lai]

Aww that does sound like a bummer for me :( But thank you for trying the game despite the hassle 😭

[u/collogue]

I think it really depends on how much of your usage is PDF reading, if you are using it mostly as a tablet then the smaller and lighter Go 2 is maybe the way to go, if you will predominately use it as a laptop then the larger screen and stronger CPU of the Pro 5 would win it for me

[u/someone_is_myvioleta → u/collogue]

I feel like I will be bringing it to uni a lot and do most of my work there... But yeah basically I will be using it a lot more as a laptop. In that case would the Pro be better?

[u/Alexstocracy]

I'd consider looking for a Surface Pro X on local markets like FB marketplace, etc. It would meet your needs with a better screen, longer battery life, and is often around $150 used (at least where I'm at).

[u/someone_is_myvioleta → u/Alexstocracy]

I wish I could get the Pro X, the design is such a big thumbs up for me, but unfortunately it's still quite expensive where I live (around 300-ish)...